Refrigerating apparatus



April 10, 1934. N M, SMALL 1,954,749

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed May 28, 1952 Cil Patented Apr. 10,- 1934 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Norman M. Small, Waynesboro, Pa., assignor to Frick Company, Waynesboro, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 28, 1932, Serial No. 614,215

3 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerating systems and particularly to systems for effecting rapid refrigeration. An object of the invention is to provide a refrigerating system for quickly freezing certain commodities, particularly foodstuffs, the freshness and food value of which are retained by being quickly frozen.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which is made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts.

Figure 1 is a View in elevation, partly in `section of a refrigerating cabinet having my invention incorporated therein,

Figure 2, a section on line 2 2 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3, an enlarged detail view showing diagrammatically conveyors for moving the articles to be refrigerated through the cabinet.

In the drawing numeral 10 indicates a refrigerating cabinet of any suitable construction having food supporting elements 11. The supports l1 may be refrigerating coils 20 but preferably are movable conveyors composed of sprocket chains which are mounted on and movable by means of sprocket wheels 12 and carrying a mesh screen between them, which will permit a refrigerant to pass freely therethrough and thereby contact with the bottoms of food commodities 13 which may be packaged goods or any other foodstuff to be frozen, such as fish. When refrigerating coils are employed as shelves or supports in the cabinet they serve to reduce the temperature of such cabinets andthe contents so that the application of the spray more readily and quickly accomplishes the freezing.

Positioned within the cabinet are pipes 14 having spray nozzles 15. Some of the spray nozzles are directed to spray a cooling or refrigerating fluid upwardly through the food supporting elements 11 into contact with the bottom of the articles to be frozen while others are projected downwardly to deliver refrigerant upon the tops of the articles to be frozen. Other spray nozzles.

maybe provided to direct the spray against the sides as well as the top and bottom of the articles to be frozen, it being desirable to have such articles completely surrounded by the spray which beats upon them from all directions.

Refrigerating fluid which may and preferably is a brine is delivered te the lateral pipes 15 by means of a pipe 16. 'Ihe refrigerant fluid is drawn out of the bottom of the container 10 through a pipe 17 and is passed through any suitable brine cooler 18 and is drawn into the suction of a brine circulating pump 19 by means of (Cl. E32- 104) which it is forced out through the pipe 16 into the lateral pipes 14.

From the construction shown and described it will be seen that brine is delivered into contact with all sides of the articles to be frozen which results in a very quick freezing of these articles. The refrigerant which is delivered through the nozzles 15 is in a finely divided spray form and thus is in a condition in which it has very great heat absorbing characteristics.

By virtue of this fact the articles to be frozen are Very quickly and effectively frozen which results in retaining a large degree of the freshness and original qualities of the foods.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in my device without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore I do not limit myself to what is shown in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated by the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

surfaces by the'refrigerating fluid to quickly freeze said articles, substantially as set forth.

2. A refrigerating system of the kind described comprising a cabinet having a plurality of refrigerant coils therein, said coils serving as supports for articles to be refrigerated, and means for projecting a refrigerating uid in finely divided spray form against all sides of the articles to be refrigerated whereby quick freezing of said articles is effected, substantially as set forth.

3. In a refrigerating cabinet of the kind described, a plurality of refrigerant coils for reducing the temperature within the cabinet, said coils serving as a support for articles to be refrigerated and a pluralityof spray nozzles for directing refrigerating fluid in finely divided spray form in all directions to bring it into heat absorbing contact with the articles to be refrigerated, substantially as set forth.

NORMAN M. SMALL. 

